Tuesday, April 29, 2008

April Grades 1,2,3 CYRM nominees






We spent time listening to and discussing these three books. Grade Three did Readers theater plays for these 2007-2008 Primary Nominations. (tandard 5.1.1 Understands the purpose of Childrens and Young Adult book awards (California Young Reader medal)


Grade 1 continued to review the difference between fiction and nonfiction and was introduced to the 600-699 Technology section ( human body, transportation, gardening, pets, cooking, buildings)(Standard 1.3.1 Understands difference between fiction and nonfiction and 1.3.6 locates fiction and nonfiction in a variety of formats).


Grade 2 was introduced to the reference section of the media center. We watched the video Media Mania: reference and read the book Mr. Wiggle looks for answers. We discussed why reference books can't be checked out and talked about dictionaries, atlas, almanac, encyclopedia, and thesaurus. We plan to explore the atlas further since many of the second grade classrooms are doing Flat Stanley projects (Standard 1.3.9 knows general contents of the reference section).


For each CYRM nominee books that we read, 3rd graders had to identify the title, author, illustrator, title page call #, publisher, copyright date and dedication
(Standards 1.2.1, 1.2.2, and 1.2.3). We also reviewed www.dictionary.com to use an online dictionary and thesaurus (Standard 1.3.5)

Dex: The Heart of a Hero
by Caralyn Buehner, illustrated by Mark Buehner
Dexter is a little dog. He's so little that the other dogs forget to invite him to play, and Cleevis the tomcat bullies him. But little Dexter has dreams –– big dreams. He wants to be a superhero. So Dexter starts a superhero training program. And suddenly, even Cleevis needs his help!

In Superdog, husband–and–wife team Mark and Caralyn Buehner have created a timeless story about a true superhero. Dexter has determination, spirit, and heart as he proves, above all, that no matter how little you are, you can still do very big things.

Henry and the Buccaneer Bunniesby Carolyn Crimi
About the Book
Henry, a young bunny, is different from the other bunnies on the ship Salty Carrot. While the other pirates relish stealing jewels from other ships and admiring their tattoos, Henry favors reading books. But when a big storm arrives, Henrys favorite activity saves the lives of the pirates, especially Henrys scornful father, Barnacle Black Ear.


Traction Man is Here!!! by Mini Grey
Traction Man—wearing combat boots, battle pants, and his warfare shirt—comes in a box, but very quickly finds the way into the imagination of his lucky boy owner. This superhero searches for the Lost Wreck of the Sieve as the boy makes a game of doing the dishes, and later in the bathtub, he conquers the Mysterious Toes that are stealing his pet, the brave little Scrubbing Brush. These are just a few of the action-packed adventures played out by the boy and his new toy that may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but can vanquish all manner of villains lurking around the house. Mini Grey’s story in words and pictures is an irresistible invitation to the private world of a child’s play.



We voted for our favorites. Here are the fina1 votes by Grades 1,2,3
Dex: the Heart of a Hero- 168 Votes This was the 2007-2008 Winner
Traction man is here!!! -61 Votes
Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies-27 Votes
The Giant Hug -19 votes
I wanna an Iguana -13 votes

Grade 2 Music

We had a visit from Mr. Dennis Finnigan, one of the children's librarians at the Union City Library. Mr. Finnigan spoke about programs that the Union City Library will be offering to help the kids learn about different instruments and appreciate them. We also were introduced to folk dancing and got to see what a line dance, square dance, and circle dance were. We got to try a Mexican dance called la raza. We also continued to review the Instrument families through listening to CD's and playing Instrument Bingo. (Standards Music 1.5 Identify visually and aurally individual wind, string, brass, and percussion instruments used in a variety of music. Standards Dance 3.1 Name and perform social and traditional dances from various cultures)

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